2009 Faculty (Additional faculty TBA)
 

David Wilcox, Artistic Director Born and raised in Southern California, David Wilcox trained with Yvonne Cusack and Stanley Holden before starting his professional career in Europe at the age of 18.  He joined the Berlin Ballet as a soloist at the age of 24 and returned to the U.S. when he was 28 to launch a new career . He founded Long Beach Ballet Academy in 1981 and a professional company in 1982 which changed its name to the Los Angeles Classical Ballet in 1991.  This company grew into Southern California's largest professional company over a period of 15 years and attracted over 50,000 audience members annually.  Many of Mr. Wilcox's students have competed in international ballet competitions, including the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi and the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland.  He has produced dozens of professional dancers, students who have joined major companies such as San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Hamburg Ballet, New York Ballet Theatre, Oregon Ballet Theater, and Sacramento Ballet. He has created and produced more than a dozen full length ballets, three of which were commissioned by the National Ballet of China in Guangzhou.  The list of international ballet stars with whom he has worked is endless, but includes Vladimir Malakov, Cynthia Harvey, Maya Plisetskaya, Marat Daukayev, and Patricia Barker. His dancers appeared three times on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and in 2007 he was invited by ballet presenters in China to be an official conduit from China to the U.S. ballet world.  He has presided over six successful ballet tours to Taiwan and China since 1999.

Aaron Cash Originally from Brisbane Australia, Aaron Cash is a multitalented performer and one of the original Tap Dogs.  Early in his career, world renowned choreographer Kenny Ortega (Dirty Dancing and High School Musical 1 & 2) cast Aaron in Cher's Love Hurts tour.  In the early 1990's, Twyla Tharp hand picked Aaron to become her personal Pas De Deux partner and the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov added Aaron to their world tour. He has been featured in films such as Titanic and Hook, and the soon to be released Bolden and The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons.  His T.V. credits include Scrubs and Nip Tuck and the series debut of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, just to name a few.  He travels the world extensively hosting, coaching and teaching choreographic and dance seminars

Johnny Zhong Mr. Zhong graduated from the Shen Yang Arts Institute in China and performed for seven years as a soloist with the National Ballet of China, Guangzhou.  He was featured as the Golden Idol in La Bayadere Cupid in Don Quixote, the Court Jester in Swan Lake, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, as well as many other leading roles.  His father is a well-known Chinese choreographer and Mr. Zhong has continued in his father's footsteps by choreographing for and competing in several international ballet competitions, finishing in 8th place at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition in 2005.  He recently immigrated to the U.S. as a free-lance ballet dancer and joined the faculty of the Long Beach Ballet.

Shani Englert Ms. Englert is a Long Beach Ballet alumni and danced professionally with the Los Angeles Classical Ballet for six years. She has performed as a soloist with the Crystal Cathedral and is a co-founder of the Long Beach Ballet performing company, for which she was artistic director for eight years.

Melissa Sandvig Melissa was a soloist with the Milwaukee Ballet for five years. She toured to Asia twice as a featured ballerina with the Long Beach Ballet and is a certified Pilates instructor.  Miss Sandvig is now a free-lance dancer in Los Angeles and on the faculty of the Long Beach Ballet Academy.  Most recently she was finalist on the 5th season of "So You Think You Can Dance."

Nicole Wilcox Miss Wilcox received her ballet training at Long Beach Ballet from her father and mother beginning at the age of four.  She performed lead roles in several of her father’s ballets and also danced with the Los Angeles Classical Ballet as a student performer.  At Orange County High School of the Arts she majored in classical dance before changing to technical stage management and sound engineering.  In 2001 she performed in Aladdin on a three week tour of mainland China and currently a faculty member and resident stage manager.

Deborah Hadley Beginning her professional career as a charter member of the Joffrey II in 1969, Miss Hadley joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1979 and was a principal dancer for thirteen years.  Upon retiring, she founded the Washington Academy of Performing Arts, assumed the position of Ballet Mistress of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet for two years, and has become a nationally respected Master Teacher and Adjudicator for classical dance.

Maricar Drilon Miss Drilon hails from the Philippines where she was a soloist with Ballet Philippines.  After immigrating to the U.S. she became a soloist with Ballet West and then with the Long Beach Ballet under the direction of David Wilcox.  She is now director of Northwest Classical Ballet School in Vancouver Washington.